Piper PA-32-260 N33117

Summary

On 29 September 2000 at about 19:04 local time, a Piper PA-32-260 registered N33117 was involved in an accident near Petersburg, Michigan, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 September 2000 at 19:04

Classification

Accident

Location

Petersburg, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Gradolph Field (88G)

Coordinates

41.8904, -83.7091

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-260

Registration

N33117

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Eaton Rapids

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Not Reported

NTSB number

CHI00LA310

Nobody was injured.

the pilots failure to abort the takeoff and obtain/maintain clearance from the corn crop. Factors were the tall, wet, grass runway, and the corn crop.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane impacted corn immediately after takeoff from a grass runway and was destroyed by a post impact fire. The pilot said he was departing on runway 27 using a short field takeoff procedure. He said that the wind was 270 degrees at 5-7 knots. He said that, during the takeoff, the airplane "settled back on down. He said that the airplane became airborne again but couldn't clear the corn crop at the end of the runway. The pilot said that the grass on the west end of the runway was about 8 inches high. In his written report, the pilot listed no mechanical malfunction of the aircraft. A postaccident examination of the aircraft failed to reveal any preexisting anomalies. The inspector also noted that the grass on the runway was about 3 inches high and the grass was "very damp but firm." A weather report for a reporting station located about 13 nautical miles and 85 degrees magnetic was reporting winds, about 20 minutes after the accident, as 130 degrees at 3 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.